Pure shock': how ministers reacted to revelation of Mandelson vetting failure

"The common sense of shock felt by the most senior members of the UK government gives a sense of how few people knew that Mandelson had been appointed against the advice of senior security officials."

"I didn't know anything about the vetting process, she told reporters. I'm the chancellor, I'm not the foreign secretary and I'm not 10 Downing Street, so I can't give you any more information on that."

"When an aide received a message from the Guardian about the story and relayed it to Cooper, her immediate reaction was pure, unbelievable shock according to one person who was there."

"Aides told him about the story and asked whether he had been aware of the vetting process given he had been foreign secretary at the time. He said he had not."

Peter Mandelson's appointment as British ambassador to Washington was met with shock among senior UK government officials after it was revealed he failed vetting checks. Key figures, including Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, expressed their surprise, stating they were unaware of the vetting process. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper reacted with disbelief upon learning the news. The incident highlighted a lack of communication within the government regarding Mandelson's appointment, as many officials were caught off guard by the revelation.

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